Strip-cutting attachment for sewing-machines.



J. HOLTZMANN. STRIP CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION TILED NOV. 25, 1912.

Patented July 1, 1913,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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STRIP CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 25, 1912.

Patented July 1, 1913.

2 SHBETS $HBET 2.

JOHN HoLrzMAnN, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

STRIP-CUTTING ATTACHMENT son SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters I'atent.

Patented July 1, 1913.

Application filed November 25, 1912. Serial No. 733,455.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HOLTZMANN, a citizenof the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland,have invented or discovered certain'new and useful Improvements inStrip-Cutting Attach ments for Sewing-Machines, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention has for its object to provide a cutting attachment forsewing machines whereby a strip of fabric which may be of suflicientlength to be applied to several pieces of work passing through a sewingmachine may be severed at any desired point, so that the successivepieces of work which might be otherwise connected together by acontinuous strip will be separated from each other.

To this end the invention comprises acutting device which is' mounted onthe head or face-plate of a sewing machine, and which includes a knifeor cutting blade disposed at a right angle to or across the direction ofthe feed of the material through the machine, the said cutting bladebeing thus above the strip to be severed.

The throat-plate or work-plate of the machine is provided with a slotthe edge or edges of which will act'as a ledger blade cotiperating withthe knife or blade above referred to in such a manner that when the saidknife or blade is depressed by the operative the strip passing beneaththe said knife or blade will "be severed.

The invention also preferably comprises certain work-guiding and foldingdevices by which strips of fabric may be' properlv folded and guided toa stitch-forming mechanism comprising a plurality of needles andcooperating loop-taking devices, thereby adapting the invention tospecial kinds of work, as will hereinafter "more fully apear.

p In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a perspective view of aportion of a sewing machine embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is arear side view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are detailviews of cuttingblades or knives such as will preferably be employed in carrying theinvention into effect.

Referring to the drawings, 12 denotes the bracket arm and 13 thework-plate of a sewing machine which may be of any suitableconstruction, but which, as herein shown, is

of a multiple-needle type for simultaneously forming a plurality ofparallel seams. To this end the vertically reciprocating needlebar 14 isprovided at its lower end with a cross-head or clamp to which theseveral needles 15 are secured, and which needles cooperate withloop-taking devices (not shown) which are beneath the work-plate, andwhich may be of any well-known or suitable form. Cooperating with thestitch-forming devices is a resser-foot 16 carried by a presser-bar 17which may be raised, when the work is to be inserted or removed, bymeans of a lever 18 connected with a rod 19 adapted to be connected witha treadle or knee-lifter of any suitable construction.

Mounted in the face-plate 20 is a cutterbar 21 to the lower end of whichis secured a knife holder 22 to which is attached a knife or cuttingblade 23 by means of a clamping plate'24, a set'screw 25 and pins 26fixed to the said knife-holder and passing through a slot or holes inthe knife or cutting blade. The knife or cutting blade 23' is preferablya two-edged one, so that when one edge becomes dulled by use the saidknife or cutting blade may be reversed to bring the other edge thereof.into cutting position. Moreover the said knife or cutting blade ispreferably so disposed or mounted that the edge or edges thereof will beinclined relative to the work so as to enable the said cutting blade tooperate with a shear cu The said knife or cutting blade is disposedabove the work-plate of the machine, rearward of the stitch-formingdevices, and transverse to the direction of the feed of the material,and registers with a slot 27formed, as shown in the present instance, inthe throat-plate 28 of the machine. The said slot,- asherein shown,consists in forming the said throatplate in two sections, one of whichis slightly separated from the other. To maintain the knife or cuttingblade i working position in register with the slot in the throat-plate abracket 29 'is rigidly attached, as by a set screw 30, to the cutterbar2l, said bracket being forked at its inner end to em race thepresser-bar 17 so as to prevent the cutter-bar from turning in itsvertical hearings in the face-plate 20. The cutter-bar 21 is preferablprovided'at its u per end with a knob or liand piece 31 which may bestruck or pressed upon by the attendant to depress the cutter-bar when,

desired, and interposed between the said knob or hand piece andthe-face-plate 20 is a spiral spring 32 which will lift the saidcutter-bar after each cutting operation.

Instead of depressing the cutterbar, for its cutting operations, bymeans of the knob or hand piece referred to, the said -cutterbar may bedepressed by a lever 33 provided at its forward end with a projection 34engaging a pin or projection 35 on the said cutter-bar, the saiddepressing lever 33 being connected at its rear end with a rod 36extending down through the work-plate and adapted to be operated by atreadle device or knee operating device of any suitable or well-knownconstruction. The means by which the knife or blade may thus bedepressed by the attendant of the machine, to sever a stitched stripafter the machine has been stopped, will be hereinafter referred to asmanually operated means, in cont-radistinction to automatic ormechanically operated means which would depress the cutting blade atpredetermined intervals while the machine is running, and the operationof which could not be controlled by the operative or attendant. Thusstitched strips of any desired length or of varying lengths may beformed by the use of applicants machine, as will be understood.

This improved cdtting-ofi device is more especially adapted for severingstrips of fabric having in-folde'd edges and which strips of fabric areintended to be sewed to pieces or sections of garments, as to the bosomsof shirts, and in such instances the folded strips to be severed mayconstitute plaits. As illustrating a preferred embodi ment of thepresent invention the sewing machine to which the same is shown as beingapplied is equipped with upper and lower strip folding and guidingdevices 37 and 38 arranged in front or forward of the stitch-formingdevices. The upper folding and guiding device 37 is supported from thehead of the machine by an arm or bracket 39, and the lower strip foldingand guiding device 38 is mounted on a holder 40 having slotted arms 41by means of which it may be attached to the work-plate 13 of the machineby set screws 42.

The folding and guiding devices herein shown are adapted to fold in theedges of two strips of fabric which will be presented to thestitch-forming devices one on top of the other, the upper folded stripbeing wider than the lower folded strip so that said upper strip willoverlap said lower strip and thus, when secured to the garment section,will provide suitable plaits. In the construction shown the edges of theupper strip are folded in downward, while the -int0 the machine.

stitched together and to the garment section the edges of said stripswill present a finished appearance. In stitching the folded or turned-inedges of the strips, to form the completed strip, a stitch-formingmechanism comprising two separated pairs 'of needles, as shown in Fig.1, to form double rows of stitches at the edges of the completed strip,will preferably be employed.

In the operation ofthe machine herein shown and described, when asuitable length of strip has been sewed to a garment section, themachine will be stopped and the,

cutter bar will be depressed by the operative to sever the strip, andthus disconnect the garment section the stitching of which has just beencompleted from the following garment section which will have beenentered From this it will be understood that the present improvementprovides convenient means whereby a strip which has been stitched eitherto a garment section or otherwise may be quickly and convenientlysevered at any desired point without removing the work from the machine.The inclined two edged cutting blade may be provided either with holes43 registering with the pins 26 on the knife-holder 22, or said blademay be providedwith a slot 44 the ends of which may be engaged by saidpins, to maintain the said cutting blade in place.

The invention is not to be understood as being limited to the detailsherein shown, as it is obvious that such details may be varied, withinthe limits of mechanical skill, without departing from the invention asdefined by the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described my invention 1 claim and desire to secure .byLetters Patent:

1. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-formingdevices, of a strip-severing device mounted above the work-plate of themachine and rearward of the said stitch-forming devices, and comprisinga knife or blade disposed transverse to the direction of the feed of thework, so as to sever a strip'of fabric after it has been stitched, saidstrip-severing device including a vertically reciprocating cutter-barmounted on the head or face-plate of the machine and provided at itsupper end with a knob or hand piece by which it may be depressed for acutting operation, when desired, and a spring encircling said bar forautomatically lifting the same after it has been depresse 2. In a sewingmachine, the combination with suitable stitch-forming devices, of astrip-severing device mounted above the work-plate of the machine andrearward of the said stitch-forming devices, and.comprising a knifeor'blade disposed transverse to the direction of the feed of the work,so

i as to sever a strip of fabric after. it has been stitched, saidstrip-severing device including a vertically reciprocating cutter-barmounted on the head or face-plate of the machine and provided at its uper end with a knob or hand-piece by which it may be depressed for acutting operation, when desired, and a spring encircling said bar forautomatically lifting the same after it has been depressed, saidcutter-bar being provided with a rigid guiding bracket, and a barslidably engaged by said bracket so that the latter will prevent thecutter-bar from turning, and will thereby maintain the cut ter inoperative position.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-formingdevices, of a strip-severing device mounted above the work-plate of themachine and rearward of the said stitch-forming devices, and comprisinga knife or blade disposed transverse to the direction of the feed of thework, manually operated means for depressing said knife or blade tosever a strip of fabric after it has been stitched and the machine hasbeen stopped, and means, disposed in front of the said stitch-formingdevices, for guiding strips of fabric thereto, said means comprisingupper and lower guiding folders adapted to turn in the edges of twosuperposed strips of fabric and direct the same to said stitch-formingdevices.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with suitable stitch-formingdevices comprising two separated pairs of needles, of a strip-severingdevice mounted above the work-plate of the machine and rearward of thesaid stitch-forming devices, and comprising a knife or blade disposedtransverse to the direction of the feed of the work, manually operatedmeans for depressing said knife or blade, to sever a strip of fabricafter it has been stitched and the machine has been stopped, and upperand lower guid ing folders dlsposed in front of said needles and adaptedto turn in the edges of two superposed strips of fabric and direct thesame to said stitch-forming devices; whereby the turned-in edges of saidstrips may be stitched together and to the garment by double rows ofstitches, and whereby also the completed strip may be severed atintervals, as may be desired.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HOLTZMANN.

Witnesses:

JAMES C. SPITLER, ROLAND H. HURST.

